Nerds Unite for Course of the Force, Epic Lightsaber Relay Across California

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Twenty Star Wars fans donned their intergalactic best at Skywalker Ranch on Tuesday, wearing costumes inspired by Star Wars characters like Chewbacca and the Storm Troopers as they began a relay of epic proportions just north of San Francisco.

This is the 2nd year of the Course of the Force, an Olympic-style relay where participants celebrate the Star Wars saga by handing off a lightsaber for over 500 miles down the California Coast.

Over 400 people will take part in the journey from Star Wars creator George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch, which will finish on July 16th in San Diego for the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con® International. Along the way, the relay will go through San Francisco, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Huntington Beach, Oceanside and Pacific Beach.

In order for the official Course of the Force lightsaber to make its way from San Francisco to Southern California, it will be flown down on July 11th by Virgin America Airlines.

There are over 400 participants in the Course of the Force. Each paid a $150 entry fee, which goes entirely to the Make-A-Wish Foundations of California. Participants get the chance to rub shoulders with many celebrities, such as Glee star Chris Cofler, actor Alexis Denisof and VH1’s Carrie Keagan, all of whom were at Tuesday’s leg of the relay.

For Aspiring Jedi’s: Celebrate with the Runners

On Wednesday July 10th, 50 runners will continue the relay in San Francisco at 8:30 a.m. at Pier 50 and will finish at 11 a.m. at the Golden Gate Bridge.

If you want to follow the run digitally, the event’s sponsors have designed an app for that. According to the website Almost Nerdy, the app “will track the relay’s progress in real time, send special messages, let users know when a celebrity runner is in play, as well as send special offers to fans at select Conival locations.”